Testing MOND-like modifications to gravity using growth-rate measurements and one-loop corrections to the matter power spectrum

Abstract

We develop a perturbative framework for structure formation in a broad class of MOND-like theories characterized by a generalized nonlinear Poisson equation. We derive the modified evolution equations governing matter perturbations and obtain the corresponding linear growth equation, extending the analysis into the mildly nonlinear regime through one-loop corrections to the matter power spectrum. Beyond the theoretical framework, we perform a cosmological analysis based on two phenomenological scenarios: one parametrized by a quantity controlling the degree of nonlinearity in the generalized Poisson equation, and another describing the interplay between the MOND acceleration scale and the cosmological acceleration associated with the background expansion. We constrain these scenarios using recent measurements of the growth rate of structure, $fσ_8$, DESI-DR2 baryon acoustic oscillation data, and Type Ia supernova compilations. We find no statistically significant evidence for departures from the standard $Λ$CDM cosmology. The inferred constraints are fully consistent with the GR + $Λ$CDM scenario within the current observational uncertainties. At nonlinear scales, we note that MOND-like modifications can alter $P_{\rm NL}(k)$ and leave signatures that current and future high-precision large-scale-structure observations may probe. Our results establish a systematic connection between MOND-like gravitational dynamics and large-scale structure observations, providing a consistent framework to assess the phenomenological viability of MOND-inspired modifications of gravity in a cosmological context.